Shareware Solutions II
fAn TL7(titinfl ftp-pie II Journey Into The future
Volume 1, Issue 4 January/February, 1994
From The Publisher's Desktop
Just like clockwork, the annual
rumor of the death of the Apple
II started spreading in late
November, 1993.
It was soon learned, however,
that the latest rumor was no
rumor at all. Apple Computer
Inc finally did the unthinkable;
they removed the Apple He
from their price list. After 17
glorious years, the Apple II
family of computers is no longer
being manufactured.
Very respectful and reverential
eulogies and obituaries were
printed in The Wall Street
Journal and in The Washington
Post. As respectful as those
articles were, they missed one
major point: The Apple II will
never die!
With more than 6 million units
sold, the Apple II was the com-
puter that changed the world. It
was the first low cost expand-
able computer system available
to the masses, and it is still in
use in tens of thousands of
homes, businesses and class-
rooms around the world. The
Apple II has developed an
almost fanatical-like group of
followers; after all, it's the
computer that changed many of
our lives for the better. And,
nothing Apple Computer Inc
does can change that!
Death is final, and therefore
isn't an appropriate analogy.
After 17 years, a more fitting
analogy would be that of the
emancipated teenager moving
away from neglectful parents.
Apple Computer Inc has set us
free. No longer do we have to
worry or concern ourselves with
Apple's marketing vagaries. We
no longer have to waste precious
energy wondering what Apple
has in store for the Apple II,
and we can stop being angry
about their lack of concern for
us. We've been set free, and the
sky's the limit. We have only
ourselves to look out for now.
The future is as bright as it's
ever been.
So, what does "removed from
the price list" really mean for
us?
The United States Federal
Trade Commission mandates
that computer companies must
provide repair services for seven
years after a computer is dis-
continued. That repair clock has
started ticking. If you have
anything wrong with your Apple
lie, you had better get it
checked out by an authorized
Apple repair facility before
November 15, 2000.
Just as the DC-3 remains flying
more than 50 years after the
first ones were built, just as
Star Trek has gained a new
generation of enthusiasts, and
just as Elvis and the Beatles
continue to sell millions of
record albums, the popularity of
the Apple II will continue to
grow. Admittedly, there may be
less and less commercial
software developed for our so-
called "obsolete" systems, and
new hardware advancements
may slow, but so what?
We can already do so much with
our Apple IPs. We can currently
connect our computers to
modems and laser printers,
scanners and CD-ROM players,
home control units and data
acquisition units. Our computers
are no less useful now than they
were just a few short months
ago.
All of the software and hardware
developers who hoped to strike it
rich have long since left the
Apple II arena. Those that
remain are committed and
fanatical and more determined
than ever to design the
improbable and to create the
impossible. At this juncture,
nothing can really alter the
strong emotions, the love and the
loyalty, that we all feel for the
Apple II computer. If anything,
Apple's recent action has made
our determination and resolve
even stronger.
As long as we have companies
like Big Red Computer Club,
Quality Computers, Seven Hills,
WestCode, Softdisk, Sequential
Systems, GS+, and Resource
Central to provide us with new
and exciting software and
hardware, and as long as we
have people like Randy Brandt
and Bill Heineman, and as long
as we have freeware and
shareware authors continuing to
produce wonderful free and low
cost software, we will get by; we
will survive!
Now more than ever: Apple II
Forever! •
Shareware Solutions II
Letters To The Publisher
Shareware Solutions II
Volume 1, Issue 4
Shareware Solutions II is
published bi-monthly by Joe
Kohn, 166 Alpine Street, San
Rafael, CA 94901.
Writer/Publisher: Joe Kohn
All contents of Shareware
Solutions II copyright (©) 1994
by Joe Kohn. All rights
reserved. Nothing may be
reprinted or reproduced, in
whole or in part, in any media
without the prior written
consent of Joe Kohn.
Available by subscription only,
the North American rate is $25
for a 12 issue subscription; for
overseas air mail delivery, the
cost for a subscription is $40.
Shareware Solutions II comes
with a pro-rated money back
guarantee.
Make all checks or money
orders out to Joe Kohn. US
Funds Only. Sorry, but no
charge cards, purchase orders or
COD orders will be accepted.
This newsletter was created
entirely with an Apple IIGS. All
articles written in AppleWorks
v3.0. Page Layout prepared in
AppleWorks GS. Printing was
done on a Hewlett-Packard
LaserJet IIP Plus, connected to
the IIGS courtesy of Vitesse's
Harmonie. The use of TrueType
fonts is courtesy of WestCode
Software's Pointless.
All articles written by Joe
Kohn.
Apple II Forever.
High Speed AOL
Matthew Pierce writes that he
was having difficulties signing
on to America Online at 2400
baud after installing a new
14.4k high speed Practical
Peripherals fax/modem model
PM14400FXMT .
Here are the instructions that
he wants to share with other
owners of new 14.4k modems:
1) Launch the America Online
software.
2) From the Sign-On screen,
which is the first screen, select
set-up and press return.
3) From the Set Up menu select
Set Up Modem.
4) Press TAB twice to put the
box around the Modem Type
menu.
5) Use the arrow keys to move
the highlight box until the box
next to Manual Dial is
highlighted.
6) Hold down the command key
and press 2 to save modem
settings.
7) Press esc three times.
8) Press the right arrow to
select the Go To menu, then
press return twice.
9) Select Sign On and press
return.
10) Select a user name and
press return.
11) When you see the message
"You may now type your
commands below:" type in your
modem's init string, using
capital letters. As an example,
my 14.4k fax/modem uses
AT&F&C0&D0&K0&Q0&S0&W
for an init string. Press return. If
you receive the message "OK"
continue to the next step. If you
receive the message "ERROR"
retype the init string. Type
ATDT followed by AOL's phone
number. Example: ATDT 543-
0691. Press return.
12) Immediately after you see
the message "CONNECT 2400",
hold down the command key and
press T. Select Resume
Connecting and press return,
and the Sign On screen will
appear. Continue to log on to
verify the init string has been
entered correctly.
13) If the init string for your
modem ends in &W, then it
doesn't need to be reused until
another string is written into
nonvolatile memory. If this is
the case, repeat steps 1-4. In
step 5, highlight the box next to
"Hayes Compatible (Standard)".
Repeat steps 6-10 and log on to
confirm that the init string has
been saved.
More Game Cheats
Here are some more game
cheats from Phil (the Cheat)
Benichou:
In Sierra On-Line's Silpheed,
the player can automatically
jump to the last level; all the
player has to do is hit shift-0
(shift-zero) and he/she is sent to
the last level (awesomely
equipped too). The ideal place to
use this easter egg is at the title
screen before the demo kicks in.
On the Apple lie & He, it's
incredibly easy to cheat on
Taipan. First, and as soon as
possible, borrow a dollar (yen, or
whatever) from the money
lender. Then return to Hong
Kong and pay back the money
Shareware Solutions II
lender with more money than
you borrowed (much more). You
will get a negative debt with a
VERY high percentage interest.
Remember, you can only borrow
"back" as much money as you
have on you. Remember to
continuously give the money
lender money (even in small
amounts), so that he/she will not
bother you so much. %
AppleWorks 4 Easter Egg
Programmers Randy Brandt
and Dan Verkade have inserted
at least one easter egg hidden
message into AppleWorks
v4.0.1. To find their hidden
message, the next time you run
AppleWorks, press Open-Apple
? from the main menu. That will
bring up Appleworks' built-in
help system. Scroll all the way
to the bottom of the screen, and
then press Open-Apple A.
Bug Busting Revisited
Addressed For Success vl.O,
Econ Technologies' desktop
based IIGS database and label-
ing program, has a potentially
dangerous "bug" in it that can
cause loss of data. Fortunately,
there's a very simple "work
around solution."
Addressed For Success' primary
purpose is to manage name and
address databases, and it has
the ability to print very nice
looking mailing labels, complete
with graphics and postal bar
codes. It also has the capability
to load already existing Apple-
Works Classic databases, and
that's where its "bug" appears.
When importing an AppleWorks
v3 or v4 name and address
database, Addressed For
Success fails to load in the final
record. If you have an
AppleWorks database, for
example, that contains 100
records, Addressed For Success
will load only the first 99
records.
Grapevine
The "work around solution" is
quite simple. Prior to importing
a database into Addressed For
Success, run AppleWorks and
load your database. Then add
one blank record at the end, and
save the database to disk.
There are several different ways
to add that blank record, and
AppleWorks v3 works a little
differently than AppleWorks v4.
Follow this basic procedure to
add a blank record to either
version:
1) Press Open-Apple Z to zoom
in to display in single record
format.
2) Press Open-Apple 9 to go to
the last record.
3) Press Open-Apple (Down
Arrow).
4) At the "You are now past the
last record" prompt, choose
'Yes".
5) Enter any single character in
any field, and press Open-Apple
S to save the database. If you
plan to further sort your
database while in AppleWorks,
use the tilde character (~).
You'll now have one blank record
at the end of your saved
database, and the final record
that Addressed For Success
doesn't load will be the blank
one.
Econ Technology has been
notified of this problem, and
hopefully will have an update
available soon. If you own
Addressed For Success vl.O,
make sure that you send in the
product registration form so
that you can be notified when
that update is complete.
Super Pricing
During December, 1993, Apple
Computer Inc held a series of
auctions, at various locations
around the country, in what was
seen as an attempt to lower
their stock of unsold excess
inventories.
Although these auctions were
open to the public, individuals
generally purchased only one or
two items, leaving the way open
for large mail order vendors to
purchase enormous quantities
of brand new Apple brand
computer equipment.
One such mail order company,
Alltech Electronics, sent
representative Tony Diaz to all
of the auctions, and his bulk
purchases are now available to
the public. Alltech's price for a
brand new Apple IIGS system
is $599. That includes a ROM3
IIGS, a one megabyte RAM card
(equaling 2048K of total RAM
memory), an AppleColor RGB
monitor, keyboard, mouse, and
an Apple 3.5" disk drive. All
equipment comes in factory
sealed boxes, and all equipment
is offered with a one year
warranty.
Additionally, Alltech's price for
Shareware Solutions II
a brand new Apple 3.5" FDHD
SuperDrive is a reasonable
$199. In comparison, Apple
Computer Inc offers, in the
latest edition of The Apple
Catalog, that exact same
SuperDrive for $329.
On a He or IIGS equipped with
a SuperDrive controller card,
available from Alltech for $139,
the FDHD can store 1.44
megabytes of data. On an Apple
IIGS without the SuperDrive
controller card, the FDHD
functions as an 800K drive.
For additional information,
contact:
Alltech Electronics
602 Garrison St
Oceanside, CA 92054
1-800-995-7773 (Orders)
1-619-721-7733 (Questions)
1-619-721-2823 (Fax)
1-619-721-0705 (BBS)
Be aware that several large
Macintosh mail order vendors
were offering similar IIGS
system bundles for less than
$400, but several telephone
calls placed in mid-January
revealed that those sources
were completely sold out.
Quicken Availability
Although most Apple II users
consider Quality Computers to
be their local Apple dealer, it's
important to realize that
Quality does not carry every
single hardware product that is
currently manufactured, nor do
they stock every software
product that is currently being
published.
A case in point is Quicken, a
financial record keeping and
check writing program for 12 8K
He, lie, IIc+ and IIGS computer
systems.
Although the Apple II version
has never been updated past
the initial release, it is still
currently available, and many
Apple II users happily employ
Quicken for financial record
keeping, check writing, tax
record keeping, and for
preparing bank reconciliation
statements.
Quicken is currently available
from the publisher for $59.95;
that price includes shipping
anywhere in the world. For
additional information, contact:
Intuit
PO Box 3014
Menlo Park, CA 94026
1-800-624-8742
Hard To Find Software
Subscriber Kent Shepard
recently alerted me to a mail
order software company that
stocks a lot of difficult to find
educational software titles for
the Apple II. National School
Products also carries a variety
of older games, with cut-rate
pricing, for the Apple II+, He
and He.
In their 220 page catalog, there
is page after page of listings for
just about any Apple II
educationally oriented software
titles you could possibly want.
Be aware, however, that as
voluminous as their catalog is,
the pricing for most of their
products is full retail. So, if
you're a teacher looking for
currently available software,
check with Quality Computers
first. If Quality doesn't stock the
title you want, chances are very
high that National School
Products does.
It's in the last 20 pages of the
National School Products'
catalog that some real deals can
be found. That section includes
entertainment closeout specials,
and is divided up into the
following categories: Utilities,
Personal Finance, TV Games,
Sports Games, Arcade Games,
Adventure Games, War Games,
Interactive Games, Strategy
Games and Simulations.
The price for old classics from
yesteryear start at $5, and for
that price, you can get such
titles as Nine Princes in Amber,
Rendezvous With Rama, Ikari
Warriors, California Raisins,
Gamma Force, Zork Quest, Lane
Mastodon, or Plundered Hearts.
For $10 or less, you can get such
wonderful classics as Wheel of
Fortune, Jeopardy, Summer
Games, Winter Games, Street
Sports Basketball, Ghost-
busters, Robocop, Bad Dudes,
Hacker, Ultima 1, Autoduel, and
many many more.
To get a free catalog, contact:
National School Products
101 East Broadway
Maryville, TN 37801-2498
615-984-3960
800-627-9393
Change of Address
Dream World Software, the pub-
lishers of the IIGS programs
DreamGrafix and DuelTris, has
moved. Their new address is:
Dream World Software
PO Box 1939
San Anselmo, CA 94979-1939
Please address your Dream-
Grafix technical questions, and
submit your shareware regis-
tration fees for DuelTris to the
new address. It is effective
immediately. •
Shareware Solutions II
Modem Madness
AOL Shakeup
With no public announcement,
the Apple II areas on America
Online were recently re-
organized, and several long time
and popular forum leaders were
let go. Scott Gentry, the out-
spoken (former) leader of the
Graphics and Sound forums on
AOL since its early Samuel
beta test days, reports:
"Effective November 1, 1993, all
forums were put under two
forum leaders - AFL Gayle and
AFL GaryJ. AFL Gayle got the
Productivity, Games and Enter-
tainment, and Graphics and
Sound forums; Gary got the rest.
While Gary apparently asked
certain forum leaders for his
areas to stay online in a non-
contract capacity, neither Marty
Knight nor I were asked to stay
online by Gayle. We found out
about it on November 5 via a
telephone call from David
Lieberman who is the producer
of the Computing and Software
forums.
The reason given was that it
cost America Online too much to
keep all forum leaders under
paid contract. David told us
that the cost to revenue ratio
was around 35% and given the
amount we were paid, it meant
that Apple II use was down
greatly. Rather than consoli-
dating forums under one banner
as was the practice in the past,
David decided to preserve the
illusion of forums online. I do
not know why a formal an-
nouncement was never made
even though we requested one
be made."
We'll miss you, Scott and
Marty! You gave a lot of
yourselves to America Online
and to the Apple II community,
and your many contributions
won't be forgotten for a long
time to come. You both
represent the pioneering spirit
of the Apple II community; you
are open and frank, supportive
and always eager to help fellow
Apple II users to solve their
computer related problems.
America Online just won't be
the same without you.
CompuServe Slashes Rates
The latest shot has just been
fired in the online price wars;
CompuServe is dropping its
rates dramatically. Effective
February 6, 1993, hourly
connect charges for 300, 1200,
and 2400 baud access will be
lowered to $4.80 an hour, and
9600 and 14400 baud access
will drop to $9.60 an hour.
CompuServe still offers its
basic membership services at
the flat rate of $8.95 per month.
The hourly connect rate
reduction applies to Compu-
Serve's "Extended Services",
which includes Appuse and
Approg, the two online forums
devoted to the Apple II.
BinScii
A year or more ago, I made a
special offer to inCider/A+
readers, and I'd now like to
extend that same offer to you.
If you are connected to the
Internet, either directly or
through a mail gateway, you
already have the ability to send
electronic email messages a-
round the world. But, did you
know that you can also
successfully send Apple II
programs and files through
Internet email?
To do so, you'll first need to
compress your program or file
using Andy Nicholas's freeware
utility Shrinklt. Then, you'll
need to process that compressed
file through David Whitney's
freeware utility BinSCII vl.0.3.
Shrinklt is readily available, via
modem, from any Apple II
oriented Bulletin Board System
or online network, but BinSCII
may be a little harder to locate.
If you're having difficulty finding
BinSCII, send an Internet email
request, using the words "Send
BinSCII" in the subject header
to 76702.565@compuserve.com
and by return email you'll receive
a file, 15K in length, that
includes an Executable version
of BinSCII along with complete
instructions describing how and
when to use it.
Online Bookstore
Book Stacks Unlimited, of
Cleveland, Ohio currently allows
modem owners to purchase
books from the comfort of their
own computer keyboard. Billed
as the world's first online
bookstore, Book Stacks Un-
limited can be accessed by
dialing 216-861-0469, or via the
Internet's telnet to "books.com".
With an estimated 270,000
different book titles available,
the online bookstore allows you
to search for books by author,
title, ISBN, or keyword, or you
can just browse the "shelves" by
subject.
There are also special message
and conferencing areas devoted
to a variety of topics. You can, for
example, look up information on
award winning titles, engage in
discussions about your favorite
books or authors, recommend
favorite titles, or just chat about
books with other modem owners.
With each order that is placed,
Shareware Solutions II
customers receive credits which
are redeemable for free books.
And, at the end of each year,
Book Stacks Unlimited donates
10% of its profits to Reading is
Fundamental, a national non-
profit organization dedicated to
promoting literacy.
MTV Online
If you're on the Internet, and
have an interest in music, you
might be pleased to learn that
MTV personality Adam Curry
maintains one of the Internet's
newest ftp sites: mtv.com.
The purpose of mtv.com is to
provide easy distribution of
music and entertainment infor-
mation, and currently includes a
library of graphics, digitized
audio sounds and text files,
including interviews, album
charts, news, reviews and
schedules of upcoming MTV
specials.
Even if you are not directly
connected to the Internet, you
can still subscribe to Adam
Curry's online newsletter, Cyber
Sleaze, which is published twice
a day. To activate your free
subscription, direct an email to:
cyber-sleaze-request@mtv.com
and in your message, include
the line: subscribe CYBER-
SLEAZE "your real name here".
If you do have an account on the
Internet, you can use the "finger
hotlist@mtv.com" command to
receive a sample issue of Cyber
Sleaze.
You'll also be pleased (or upset)
to learn that MTV's most
popular personalities and
America's newest cultural anti-
heroes can also be reached by
Internet email. They need no
introduction; direct your fan
mail to beavis@mtv.com and
butthead@mtv.com.
To access MTV online, just ftp
to mtv.com, and login as
anonymous.
Online Disability Resources
The Disabled Children's
Computer Group of Berkeley,
CA has compiled a 50 page
booklet, entitled "On-Line
Resources for People With
Disabilities" that is packed
with information, leads, lists
and hints for finding special
needs resources using a
computer and a modem. The
booklet is intended to be read
by people who want to get an
overview of the range of
resources that are available via
telecommunications .
Interests such as education,
government, consumer, social
interaction and research are
covered. Resources related to
specific areas of disability are
also covered, including hearing
and visual impairments and
learning disabilities. The use of
adaptive technology with
telecommunications is also
discussed.
The cost is only $5 if picked up
at the DCCG offices, or $8 if you
would like it shipped to your
home or office. You can call in
your order, or send a check (in
US Funds only) to DCCG.
Disabled Children's Computer
Group
2547 8th St, Ste 12-A
Berkeley, CA
510-841-3224
Shareware Solutions Online
Shareware Solutions II is
currently maintaining online
support areas on both GEnie
and America Online. Those
areas are set up for subscribers
to ask questions, send feedback,
offer suggestions, or for general
chit-chat and correspondence
with other subscribers.
Due to the informal nature of
correspondence via modem, the
conversations have been lively,
fun and quite often, stray into
areas far removed from the
Apple II.
If you subscribe to either of
those two online services, stop
by Shareware Solutions II
Online, and say hello.
On Genie, that area is found on
the A2 Roundtable's Bulletin
Board, in category 28, Topic 4.
From any GEnie prompt, typing
"A2" will bring you to the Apple
II area. From A2's Main Menu,
select option #1 to enter the
Bulletin Board section. Once in
the Bulletin Board, type "Set"
and at the next prompt, type
"28". From there, issue the
"Rea" (read) command, and read
Topic 4. If you want to take part
in the conversation, use the
"Rep" (reply) command.
Remember, however, that when
using GEnie, it's much easier
and it's much more affordable,
to use an offline message
handler that allows you to read
and reply to messages after
you've disconnected from GEnie.
If you're new to GEnie or are
considering getting an account
on GEnie, please go back and re-
read Issue #1 of Shareware
Solutions II, specifically the
item found on Page 6 entitled
"Save Money on GEnie".
Since Shareware Solutions II
Online has been part of GEnie's
A2 Roundtable from before even
the first issue appeared, many
hundreds of messages have been
posted. In an effort to make it
Shareware Solutions II
convenient for new GEnie
subscribers to read all of those
messages, they have been
collected into several archives
that are posted in the A2
Library. If you'd like to read
everything that has been
posted, you can download the
following files from the A2
Library (main menu option #3):
21771, 21773, 21774, 21248,
21249. All of those files have, of
course, been compressed with
Shrinklt; once uncompressed
with Shrinklt, they become
standard text files that can be
read with any word processor.
America Online's Shareware
Solutions II Online area is
much newer; it's debut was in
January, 1994. That area can be
reached from a number of
different forums, including
Productivity, Hardware and
Graphics/Sounds. Within each of
those forums, there is a menu
item for "Company Support";
choose that option, and you
should be able to easily find
Shareware Solutions II. Or, you
could just use the keywords
"Shareware Solutions" to take
you there from anywhere on
America Online.
Stop by and say hello the next
time you're online! And, if you
have questions, you might be
very pleasantly surprised at just
how fast you'll get a reply and an
answer to that question.
Correction
There was an error of omission
in Shareware Solutions II, Issue
#3.
On page 11, under Internet
Access, an incorrect domain
address was listed. The correct
address to send requests for a
ProLine BBS Site List is:
server@pro-sol.cts.com
The domain address, as listed in
Issue #3, only works when
sending your request from a
ProLine system BBS. If you're
using any other system
connected to the Internet, use
the above address, and include
the following in the subject line:
"send proline/network.sites". By
return email, you'll receive the
latest listing of all Apple II
based, Internet connected,
ProLine systems. •
Let's Get Personal
Getting To Know You
In an effort to learn more about
you, the readership of Share-
ware Solutions II, a survey was
printed in the second issue of
the newsletter. To date, nearly
100 people have submitted re-
sponses. Many of those were
extremely detailed, and it was
quite evident that you are, as a
group, quite passionate about
your Apple II. Thank you for
taking the time and the effort to
respond to that survey.
Although a statistician might
conclude that the respondents
represented just a small
sample of the total number of
subscribers, I feel that I can
make some valid suppositions
based on the voluminous
amount of information that you
provided. Let's take a look at
that data and see how it relates
to our future.
72% of all responses were
submitted the old fashioned
way - by mail. 28% of all
responses were submitted
using electronic mail. Of those
email responses, 12% were sent
via America Online, 56% were
sent via GEnie, 4% were sent
via CompuServe, and 25% were
sent via The Internet.
7% of those who responded own
Apple He or lie systems, 63%
own an Apple IIGS, and 30%
own several different Apple II
systems. 82% of you report
owning a hard disk drive. 80%
of you report owning a modem.
48% of you belong to an Apple
II User Group. 20% of you are
teachers or educators, and 7%
of you are students.
Not everyone responded to the
subjective question asking a-
bout their computer skill level,
but of those who did, 16%
characterize themselves as rel-
ative novices, 50% as inter-
mediate users, and 34% as
advanced users. 13% of all
respondents are computer
programmers.
67% of you report using
AppleWorks Classic, and 42%
of you report using AppleWorks
GS. 40% belong to The National
AppleWorks User Group. 29% of
you use HyperStudio.
81% subscribe to II Alive, 43%
subscribe to GS+ Magazine,
43% subscribe to either
Softdisk or Softdisk G-S. And
finally, 57% of you used to
subscribe to inCider/A+.
About Your Publisher
Since you were so free in sharing
information about yourself, let
me do the same, and tell you a
little about me.
Shareware Solutions II
I'm 46 years old and have a
Master's degree in Social
Welfare. For many years, I
worked as a Psychiatric Social
Worker. Then I purchased an
Apple 11+ computer, and
nothing has been quite the
same since.
I quickly went from being a
computer hobbyist to a
computer fanatic. I wanted to
spend all my time with my
computer, and I dreamed of
changing careers. I had the
opportunity to do just that in
early 1987.
For the past seven years, I have
been working on a full-time
basis with my Apple II. My first
full-time paid computer posi-
tion was managing the Apple II
forums on the Source, an
international computer infor-
mation network. In that
capacity, I answered general
Apple II technical support
questions, managed a huge on-
line electronic library containing
thousands of Apple II freeware
and shareware programs,
arranged and conducted online
interviews with many famous
Apple II programmers and
personalities, and had the time
of my life. My dream of working
with my Apple II had come true!
During that time, I started
writing about the Apple II, and
soon became a Contributing
Editor for The Apple IIGS
Buyer's Guide. In addition to
writing product reviews and
articles about telecommu-
nications, it was in that
publication that the Shareware
Solutions column first
appeared.
Several days after The Source
went out of business in 1989, I
went to work as the shareware
and freeware librarian for Big
Red Computer Club. Working
from my home, which is more
than 1,000 miles from the
BRCC offices, I added more
than 150 disks and disk
collections to the BRCC library,
and for more than two years,
wrote approximately 50% of Big
Red's newsletter, "Scarlett."
Near the beginning of my tenure
at Big Red, The Apple IIGS
Buyer's Guide went out of
business, and I made the switch
to inCider/A+, where I quickly
went from columnist to
Contributing Editor. All told, 25
Shareware Solutions columns
appeared in inCider/A+. In most
issues of inCider/A+, I wrote at
least two articles, and in
several issues, as many as four
articles appeared.
After working at Big Red for
several years, that organization
had a change of focus and
literally overnight went from
being an Apple II User Group to
becoming the largest Apple II
software publisher in existence.
During that transition, Big Red
placed less emphasis on its
newsletter and public domain
library, and it became apparent
that if I wanted to continue
focusing on writing, and on
freeware and shareware, I
would have to carve a new niche
for myself.
It was then that I first thought
about self-publishing my own
Apple II oriented newsletter.
Having always worked for non-
profit organizations, or for
computer companies owned by
others, I knew that I lacked
many of the basic skills needed
in owning and managing a
business, so it was easy to
procrastinate making the big
decision. Then inCider/A+ went
out of business, and I could no
longer afford the luxury of
indecision. Plans to establish
the newsletter were finalized in
April, 1993, during Apple Expo
West in San Francisco.
About Shareware Solutions II
In case you didn't realize it,
Shareware Solutions II is a one
person operation. In addition to
being the newsletter's sole
writer, editor and publisher, I'm
also the marketing maven, the
production manager, and the
circulation supervisor. All news-
letter writing, layout and design
is accomplished using my trusty
Apple IIGS. After the newsletter
is finished, I bring a master copy
to a local printer, and then fold,
address and stamp the com-
pleted newsletters.
I also manage the Shareware
Solutions II Library, and per-
sonally choose all the software
that is placed into it. I print all
the disk labels, and duplicate
all the disks that subscribers
order, and after preparing the
disks for mailing, I take them to
the post office.
In my spare time, I try to
answer your letters, stay
informed of current Apple II
events, collect new freeware and
shareware software, and try to
maintain contact with the
people who write the software
and build the hardware that you
and I use.
Doing everything myself is
extremely gratifying and
rewarding, but it's also very
time consuming. Unfortunately,
a one person operation can be
sidetracked or even sidelined
completely. This issue went to
press much later than planned,
due to an unexpected and
particularly debilitating flu that
struck at the beginning of
December, and lasted for more
Shareware Solutions II
than 5 weeks.
Staying In Touch
With the volume of mail that
arrives on a daily basis, it's
getting harder and harder to
answer all of your technical
questions on an individual
basis. For that reason, I'd like
to suggest that modem owners
who have questions to submit
them electronically on Share-
ware Solutions IPs online areas
on GEnie and America Online.
If you post your questions there,
others can benefit from the
response. The best of those
questions and answers will be
printed in the newsletter, so
that those who don't own
modems will also be able to
learn.
For those of you who do use the
mail to ask questions, please
include a self addressed
stamped envelope for a speedier
reply.
What The Future Holds
I studied your responses to the
survey, and thought long and
hard about your suggestions.
Since 80% of you own modems,
48% belong to user groups, 40%
belong to NAUG, 81% subscribe
to II Alive, and 43% subscribe
to both GS+ and Softdisk, it's
clear that Shareware Solutions
II is not your only source of
Apple II information. That is
probably the most important
fact that I was able to learn
about you.
Based on your feedback, it
seems as if the general tone set
in the first few issues has been
right on the mark. Probably the
most salient comments about
the newsletter offered by
numerous readers was, "Don't
change anything." Since I've
really enjoyed writing the
articles that have appeared,
and you've liked reading them
and have hopefully learned
something from them, everyone
is happy, and we can expect
more of the same in this and
upcoming editions.
In the past few issues, I've tried
to present a combination of
news and views that you might
not find anywhere else. With the
majority of people having access
to other sources for Apple II
news, I will continue to try to
find information that you might
not read anywhere else. I will
also continue to use all of my
connections in the Apple II
community to arrange money
saving deals for you on an on-
going basis. I will also continue
to review new and exciting
freeware and shareware that is
not in general circulation.
Since 80% of you own modems,
but only 28% used a modem to
submit your completed surveys,
that says to me that many of
your modems may be under
utilized. I'm challenged by that,
and will continue to try to find
new and fun uses for those
modems.
Since so many of you subscribe
to II Alive, I'd just as soon try
not to duplicate the types of
articles that appear in that
magazine. Instead, I'm chal-
lenged to present new slants
and different perspectives. I
would like to complement II
Alive and GS+ and not try to
compete with them. They are
both worthwhile and inform-
ative publications that I both
subscribe to and enjoy reading.
My primary goal, therefore, is to
try to provide information that
you won't find in those other
magazines. It's a stimulating
challenge, yet I look forward to
devoting my resources and
energies to Shareware Solutions
II and its subscribers for many
years to come. After all, the
exciting Apple II journey into
the future has only just begun, tf
HP Status Report
In The Beginning
The announcement of a cash
reward, printed in the last
issue of Shareware Solutions
II, for the first programmer
who could come up with a
method to print Print Shop
generated greeting cards,
letterheads or signs to Hewlett
Packard brand printers was
just the latest development in
an on-going story that has roots
going back a year or more. The
story is far from over, but let's
go back and see how it started.
After purchasing a Hewlett-
Packard brand printer in late
1992, 1 contacted Broderbund to
ask about a possible update to
The Print Shop that would
support HP brand printers. The
customer support person I
spoke with suggested that I
write a letter to the company,
stating that I would be happy to
pay for such an update if it
should ever be released.
At that point, I identified
myself as a Contributing Editor
for inCider/A+, and the company
representative suggested that I
print an item in inCider/A+
asking that all other Apple II
owners with HP brand printers
write such a letter as well. Thus
Shareware Solutions II
began a long letter writing
campaign.
Unfortunately, the form letter
that people received in return
basically said that Broderbund
could/would not commit to
future Apple II software devel-
opment because of the costs
involved, and its belief that
Broderbund wouldn't be able to
re-coup those costs.
Related Developments
Until recently, the case seemed
closed. But, keeping a sharp eye
out for Apple related
developments, I was recently
stunned and encouraged by a
most amazing development in
the Apple III world. In many
ways, the Washington Apple Pi
(WAP) seems to be one of the
last "keepers of the Apple III
flame." WAP recently hired long
time Apple III programmer,
developer and supporter Bob
Consorti to create a new
updated Operating System for
the Apple III, and BOS (Bob's
Operating System) has just
recently been released.
Keep in mind that the Apple III
has not been manufactured for
more than a decade. Yet, an
active Apple III user group was
able to come up with the
resources necessary to update
the Apple III Operating System.
BOS currently provides Apple
III users with an integrated
program selector, disk caching,
print spooling, a built in screen
blanker, and a method to select
a program to run automatically
at start-up. WAP is currently
selling BOS for $49.95.
When BOS was first released,
WAP stated, "We intend that
all funds from the sale of these
disks will go right back into the
Software Development Fund so
that we can continue to hire
programmers to upgrade or
write new software for us."
It was a combination of the
above elements that got me
thinking about offering a reward
for HP drivers for The Print
Shop. Unfortunately, that offer
was met with stony silence from
the Apple II programming
community.
A Better Way
The response, however, from
owners of Hewlett-Packard
brand printers was over-
whelming, and to be honest, was
quite unexpected. Many Apple
II owners actually pledged
additional reward money, and
several even sent in $25 checks.
Every letter and electronic mail
message that was received
served as reinforcement that
there is a real need that is
currently not being met.
Following the first flurry of
pledges, I contacted the two
Apple II programmers who I
knew had the programming
knowledge that would be needed
to create such a utility: John
Wrenholt of Big Red Computer
Club and (Burger) Bill
Heineman.
John Wrenholt, owner of Big
Red Computer Club, wrote
Print Shop Lover's Utility Set
(for both Ile/IIc and IIGS
versions of Print Shop), and
Labels, Labels, Labels. Those
programs use both Print Shop
graphics and fonts, and writing
them gave him an intimate
knowledge of the inner workings
of Print Shop. John's reaction
was that a GS/OS based Print
Shop "clone", one that used
already existing printer drivers,
would be "do-able". I mentioned
the reward to John, but since
BRCC is now one of largest
publishers of Apple II software,
I didn't get the feeling that a
$100 reward, much less a $300
or $500 reward, excited him very
much.
Bill Heineman wrote Vitesse's
Harmonie, a set of GS/OS based
printer drivers for HP brand
printers, making him an ideal
candidate for writing HP drivers
for Print Shop. Bill thought that
a combination HP printer driver
and patch for Print Shop would
be do-able. But, when I men-
tioned the cash reward, I didn't
detect a whole lot of enthusiasm
from him either.
Both programmers admitted
that creating an HP printer
driver for Print Shop would be a
major undertaking, and that
they simply couldn't afford to
spend weeks or months creating
a freeware or shareware utility.
Tomorrow The Stars
It was time, it seemed, to figure
out another way to accomplish
the goals. As great as the offer of
a reward seemed at the time, I
was starting to think that it was
so uncertain and left too much to
chance. Maybe an enterprising
programmer would write the
utility and claim the reward, but
I was not feeling encouraged.
After all, not a single program-
mer contacted me to tell me that
they had accepted my challenge.
Rather than waiting to see what
developed, I decided that the
time for action had arrived. I
spoke again with Burger Bill,
and after some further discus-
sion of what was wanted, I
commissioned Bill to write
drivers for The Print Shop GS
for Hewlett-Packard DeskJet
500, 500c and 550c printers, as
well as for LaserJet II and III
10
Shareware Solutions II
series printers. He is now hard
at work developing the drivers
and creating a program that
will patch Print Shop GS to
recognize those drivers.
The services of a professional
programmer, hired on a contract
basis, are not inexpensive.
Because of the amount of money
required to hire Bill Heineman,
it's clear that the resulting
utility will not be able to be
released as freeware. In order to
insure recouping my sizable
investment, the resulting utility
will be offered as a low cost
commercial software product,
available to Shareware Solu-
tions II subscribers for, most
probably, $20 or $25. The cost
to non-subscribers will be
slightly more. In any case, the
cost of the resulting utility
program should be "in the same
ballpark" as many subscribers
offered in pledges.
The project has just started,
and at this time, it is unknown
whether it will result in success.
If Burger Bill is successful, and
if I can recoup my investment,
this could be the start of other
home-brew software solutions
for other versions of the Print
Shop, and who knows what else?
After all, if Apple III folks can
commission a new version of
their Operating System, with
our far greater numbers, there's
nothing that can stop us in our
quest to ensure that the phrase
"Apple II Forever" remains more
than just an empty marketing
slogan. We can make it happen,
and we will make it happen;
after all, we're in control of our
own destiny now! »
Back To Basics
Whether you use an Apple He,
He or IIGS, having a little
knowledge about AppleSoft
BASIC can go a long way to
help make your computer
system easier and more
convenient to use.
Apple He and lie owners have,
of course, been using AppleSoft
BASIC for years, since it's the
only computer language that is
built-in and provided free of
charge with all Apple II
computer systems.
Although AppleSoft BASIC is
also included with the Apple
IIGS, it has been only since the
release of the latest version of
the GS/OS operating system,
System 6.0.1 that the majority
of IIGS owners have had a
renewed interest in learning
some basics about AppleSoft
BASIC.
System 6.0.1 provides an easy
and convenient method to run
ProDOS-8 based software. By
holding down the "8" key as
BASIC Basics
System 6.0.1 first starts to
load, ProDOS-8 is automati-
cally loaded and executed. This
can be a real time saving
convenience if you run any
ProDOS-8 based software on
the IIGS.
Over the years Apple has
included an introductory Apple-
Soft manual with all new
systems sold. If you're not too
familiar with AppleSoft BASIC,
now might be a good time to dig
out that manual. Whether you
have "The AppleSoft Tutorial"
from 1979 or "A Touch of
Applesoft BASIC" from 1986,
there's a lot of useful infor-
mation in these manual that
may help you to better under-
stand your computer and how it
works.
Rather than attempt a general
tutorial about the BASIC
computer language, I'd like to
share with you my absolute
favorite AppleSoft BASIC
statement, and show you how to
use it to write your own useful
one line BASIC programs. Even
if you have no interest in
learning how to program your
Apple II computer, please don't
turn the page just yet.
Let's first take a look at the way
ProDOS-8 works.
First Things First
When any disk is first started
up (booted), it follows a set
procedure. If the disk is not
formatted, you'll see an error
message that says, "Not a
Startup Disk." If the disk has
been formatted for ProDOS, but
there are no files on it, you'll see
an error message that says,
"Unable to load ProDOS."
That's because ProDOS is the
operating system, and just like
a car needs gasoline to run, your
computer needs an operating
system in order to accomplish
anything. A computer's oper-
ating system, whether it's DOS
3.3, ProDOS-8, or GS/OS, is
simply a computer program, or
set of programs, that perform
routine "housekeeping chores,"
such as keeping track of what
files are on a disk, and
providing a way to load those
Shareware Solutions II
11
files from disk into the
computer's memory.
Once a disk has been formatted,
and the ProDOS-8 operating
system has been copied onto
that disk, and the disk has been
booted and ProDOS executed,
the first thing the operating
system does is look for the first
System filetype program it sees
in the main directory, and then
it runs it. In the vast majority of
cases, that first System file is
BASIC.System. BASIC.System
is actually AppleSoft BASIC.
Please note that on a IIGS, the
ProDOS file you see in the main
directory of your system disk is
not the ProDOS-8 operating
system; it's simply a small load
file that instructs your IIGS to
run GS/OS. The actual ProDOS-
8 file is located inside the
System folder, and is named P8.
So, if you want to create a
ProDOS-8 bootable disk on your
IIGS, format the disk and copy
the P8 file to the disk, rename
that file ProDOS, and then copy
BASIC.System to that disk.
Once both ProDOS and
BASIC.System are run, the first
thing BASIC.System does is to
look for a file named Startup. If
it doesn't find one with that
name, it'll deposit you at the
AppleSoft Prompt (]); if it does
find a Startup file, it will
automatically run it.
So, that little knowledge can
help you tame your ProDOS-8
based disks, as you can always
place your favorite ProDOS-8
based menu system, such as
Sneeze, into the main directory
and call it Startup, and it will
run. Or, you could place your
favorite freeware game on a
disk, rename it Startup, and it
will automatically run after
ProDOS and BASIC.System.
Likewise, you can create a one
line AppleSoft BASIC program
that in turn would run Sneeze or
any other program you desire.
Making A Statement
The key to running the program
of your choice is in the following
AppleSoft statement: Print
CHR$(4);" ". In English, that
statement roughly translates to
"whatever follows the quotation
mark is an AppleSoft command
that should be executed just as
if it had been typed in from the
keyboard." So, it could take the
form of:
10 Print CHR$(4);"-SNEEZE"
(and Sneeze will run)
or
10 Print CHR$(4);"BYE"
(and the built-in ProDOS-8
program selector will run.)
or
10 Print CHR$(4);"-/HD/PT/PT3
(and ProTERM 3.1 will run.)
Remember, any AppleSoft com-
mand can be used within the
quotation marks; for example, if
the command CAT is used, a
catalog would be displayed. In
most cases, however, when
using this technique as a
Startup program, ProDOS's
"Smart Run Command" (-)
would be followed by the
program name that you want to
run.
When you first startup a disk
with only ProDOS and
BASIC.System on it, you'll find
yourself deposited at the Apple-
Soft Prompt within a few
seconds. What you'd do is write
your one liner complete with a
line number, and press Return.
Then, at the ] prompt, you'd just
type SAVE STARTUP and
press Return, and that file will
be saved to disk as the Startup
file. The next time that disk is
"booted," your one-line program
will be automatically run at
startup.
Getting In Tune
Aside from just being an
intellectual exercise, what kind
of practical use is there for
creating a one line program,
when you can automatically run
any program by renaming it
Startup?
For starters, if you're running
System 6.0.1 and have a
Startup program set up to run
AppleWorks, within seconds of
pressing the "8" key you'll be at
the AppleWorks main menu.
Another wonderful example
concerns IIGS users who have
both 3.5" and 5.25" disk drives
connected to their systems. Most
IIGS users store most all their
programs and files on 3.5" disks,
simply because those disks can
store nearly 5 times the amount
of information than can be
stored on a 5.25" disk. So, the
majority of IIGS users simply
use their 5.25" disk to run older,
and sometimes copy-protected
software. If those 5.25" disks
are used only occasionally and
never used with GS/OS, why
should they be active all the
time? There's no reason
whatsoever.
If you heed the following, you'll
never have to listen to the
grinding noises made when
GS/OS polls 5.25" disks, and
your system will operate much
more efficiently. To deactivate
your 5.25" disks from GS/OS,
follow these steps:
1) Startup your IIGS System
12
Shareware Solutions II
Disk.
2) Double click on the System
Folder.
3) Double click on the Drivers
Folder.
4) Single click on the icon named
AppleDisk5.25.
5) Press Open-Apple I.
6) Click on "Inactive" box.
7) Close all the folders and re-
boot system.
Keep in mind that the above
procedure deactivates only those
drives while using GS/OS, and
has no effect whatsoever with
ProDOS-8.
In order to startup a disk in
your 5.25" from the IIGS
Finder, just double click on
BASIC. System, and when the
AppleSoft prompt appears,
type the following one line
AppleSoft BASIC program:
10 PRINT CHR$(4);"PR#6"
Then, press Return, and at the
AppleSoft prompt, type SAVE
BOOT6. When you return to the
Finder, by typing the ProDOS
command BYE, you'll see a new
icon in your Finder desktop
window that is named BOOT6.
Whenever you double click on
that BOOT6 icon, you'll start up
any disk in your 5.25" disk drive.
And it just doesn't matter if
that disk is DOS 3.3, ProDOS-8,
copy -protected or not.
Although these techniques are
especially handy for those who
own hard disk drives, they can
be easily modified to work well
with 5.25" and 3.5" disks
connected to He and lie systems.
All that's needed is a touch of
AppleSoft BASIC and a desire
to make your computer work the
way you want it to work. •
Charlie's AppleSeeds
In Issue #2, subscribers were
given an opportunity to pur-
chase the premiere Apple II
hard drive utility program, Pro-
Sel, at a tremendous discount.
From feedback received from
both subscribers and from the
publisher of ProSel, that "Such
A Deal" offer worked out very
well for everyone.
Chuck Newby, the publisher of
ProSel, was so pleased with the
positive response from Share-
ware Solutions II subscribers
that he would like to extend
that offer indefinitely. He'd also
like to make you a special dis-
counted offer on several new
lines of hard disk drives for the
Apple He and IIGS systems. To
take advantage of either of
these generous "Such A Deal"
offers, just contact Chuck
Newby and identify yourself as
a Shareware Solutions II
subscriber.
For the past several months,
Chuck Newby has been search-
ing for low cost hard drives to
Such A Deal!
offer the Apple II community,
and while some of his
investigations have come to
naught, others have yielded
"golden Apples." As this issue
goes to press, he continues his
investigations. For that reason,
he may have many more drives
available by the time you read
this. He is currently offering
The RoadRunner series and the
Diplomat series.
RoadRunner
The RoadRunner line is a low
power internal hard drive sys-
tem that employs a Quantum
2.5" SCSI-2 drive, mounted on
a hard card that can be inserted
into any open slot, and includes
a SCSI interface card which
must be inserted into either
slot 5, 6 or 7. In a IIGS, only the
slot for the SCSI controller
need be set to "Your Card"; the
hard card holding the drive is
transparent to slot or device
mapping software. SCSI utility
software is included with the
complete RoadRunner unit.
The RoadRunner hard drive
system will handle any mega-
byte size of the 2.5" SCSI drive
series. The controlling factor is
the limitation of ProDOS-8
(ProDOS-8 versions earlier than
2.x limit SCSI devices to not
more than 2 partitions per
SCSI device in any slot except
slot 5 which allows 4 SCSI
device partitions).
The hard card has dip switches
which set SCSI ID# and switch
termination power on or off. An
optional daisy chain cable is
also available; that will be
necessary for users who already
have a SCSI card or who wish to
use a different SCSI card from
the one included with the
complete RoadRunner package.
Please note that if you already
own a SCSI controller card, you
can purchase a RoadRunner
without a SCSI card.
The RoadRunner series has
been tested, and works on both
Apple He and IIGS systems.
The Diplomat
The Diplomat is an external
Shareware Solutions II
13
hard drive that comes in a case
roughly the same size as an
Apple 3.5" drive. Included is an
external SCSI ID# selector, two
SCSI plugs, and an internal
power supply powered by a wall
transformer unit. The Diplomat
comes with power transformer
and SCSI cable. A SCSI inter-
face card is not included, and
must be purchased separately.
A Diplomat drive works with
either Apple's High Speed SCSI
interface or with a RamFAST
SCSI interface card.
About Charlie's AppleSeeds
When I last spoke to Chuck
Newby, he indicated that he
currently had the Diplomats
available in 127, 170, 240, and
270 megabyte capacities. Since
then, he has secured another
source for hard drive enclosures
and for raw hard drives, and
will therefore have the capa-
bility to include larger sized
drives in these cases.
If you have any questions about
any of these drives, or about the
higher capacity systems, please
contact Chuck Newby. He can
generally be reached evenings
and weekends. And, please keep
in mind that more than one
subscriber commented to me
about how ethical and honest
Chuck Newby is. It is my
personal opinion that he will
not steer you wrong! After all,
how can the man who set up the
Beagle Buddies program, and
managed it for several years
with absolutely no compen-
sation, be anything but a pillar
of the Apple II community?
All drives will be tested and
"burned in" before shipping, to
ensure that a working drive will
arrive at your door. When
ordering, please specify how
many partitions, what size
partitions, and whether all
should be ProDOS partitions,
etc. If not specified, Chuck
Newby will make a small boot
partition and all other parti-
tions will be 32 megabytes. You
also need to let him know
whether you already have
System 6.0.1 disks; if not, he
can install that for you, if
desired; otherwise, the drive
will arrive formatted and par-
titioned but with no operating
system.
Shipping Details
Shipping will be by Priority
Mail, figured at cost (generally
between $6 and $12 in the US.
UPS 3 day (about $15) or 2 day
(about $20) options are
available on request, at cost.
COD, please add $5. Sorry, no
credit card purchases. Money
Orders or Cashier's Check
required on orders over $400.00.
Insurance added to shipping
costs on all items over $100.
California Sales Tax applied to
cost of purchase (but not
shipping fees) to all addresses
inside California, at the rate of
7.75%.
Internal Hard Drives
Roadrunner40 with SCSI $183
Roadrunner80 with SCSI $324
Roadrunnerl27 with SCSI $365
Roadrunnerl70 with SCSI $393
Roadrunner256 with SCSI $480
Roadrunner40 No SCSI $139
Roadrunner80 No SCSI $295
Roadrunnerl27 No SCSI $331
Roadrunnerl70 No SCSI $356
Roadrunner 256 No SCSI $452
External Hard Drives
40 Mb GoDiplomat $139
127LPS Mb Diplomat $283
170LPS Mb Diplomat $299
240LPS Mb Diplomat $344
270LPS Mb Diplomat $345
Other Products In Stock
12" SCSI 25-25 cable $15
Apple High Speed SCSI $95
Apple Hi Speed SCSI w/ Drive...
$91
RamFAST SCSI 256k $149
RamFAST SCSI 256k w/drive...
$134
RamFAST SCSI lmb $199
ProSel-16 w/Drive $55
For additional information,
contact:
Charlie's AppleSeeds
9081 Hadley Place
San Diego, CA 92126-1523
Phone/Fax: 619-566-1297 «
Spotlight On You
Ever since Shareware Solutions
first appeared in The Apple
IIGS Buyer's Guide, each column
has had a theme. The themes
have varied greatly from issue to
issue. In this issue, both share-
ware columns have the exact
same theme which is quite
different from any previous one.
The following columns turn the
spotlight on you, the Shareware
Solutions II subscribers! In the
past few months, an incredible
amount of freeware and share-
ware software has arrived at the
Shareware Solutions II world-
wide headquarters, and all of it
was submitted by subscribers.
Without further ado, let's meet
some Apple II freeware and
shareware authors, and learn
what they are working on. •
14
Shareware Solutions II
Shareware Solutions Ile/IIc/IIgs
Randy Brandt Freeware
Not content to rest on his
laurels, AppleWorks v4 author
Randy Brandt has some free-
ware patches that he'd like to
share with you.
It has taken Randy a while to
iron out all the bugs in
AppleWorks v4.0 and 4.0.1, but
now that he has, he wants you
to modify your copy of Apple-
Works. Make402 will update
AppleWorks v4.0.1 to v4.0.2,
and Randy's Free Patch will
provide up to 15 alterations,
mainly cosmetic, to your copy of
AppleWorks.
Among some of the fixes
afforded by Make402 are that
TimeOut can now load multiple
30-application menus. A bug in
the DeskJet driver which caused
a cloverleaf symbol to be
printed at the start of lines in
the Word Processor was fixed.
The dictionary copier now works
with 5.25" disks. With 4.0.2,
files with lengths exactly
divisible by 4096 are now copied
properly by the File Activities.
You may now leave a Data Base
file and change the path using
the ProDOS directory option to
pick a subdirectory from a list
without causing problems. All
told, more than 20 problems
have now been fixed. If you own
AppleWorks 4.0.1, you need
Make402!
With Randy's Free Patch, you
can change the character that's
used to indicate the end of a
Carriage Return line. You can
now select menu items without
having to press Return. You can
now reverse the order of the
"Yes/No" prompts. You can alter
the IIGS Enter key so that it
acts like a Down arrow in the
spreadsheet, simplifying data
entry with the keypad. You can
now use MouseText symbols in
file listings.
All told, Randy's Free Patch
provides 15 AppleWorks 4.0.2
enhancements.
Both of Randy Brandt's free-
ware patchers are available
from Shareware Solutions II on
a single disk for $5. Please
specify 3.5" or 5.25" disk. They
both require that you own
AppleWorks v4. 0.1.
Computer Keyboarding 5
Each year that I wrote for
inCider/A+ magazine, the June
issue would contain a feature
length article about the best
freeware and shareware that
had been released during the
previous year. In the June, 1992
edition, I praised a then newly
released touch typing tutor
program with these words:
"Charles Hartley is a middle
school teacher who couldn't find
an affordable typing instruction
program which taught basic
skills with an emphasis on
accuracy, so he wrote his own.
Computer Keyboarding is
designed to help those with
little or no typing experience
learn the correct way to type.
The program is highly struc-
tured and you must attain a
degree of mastery with one set
of keys before you proceed to the
next. Interspersed within the
self paced lessons are three
games that continue typing
practice, plus two that are
strictly for fun. Extensive record
keeping and visual feedback
provide an accurate picture of
your performance."
Since then, Charles Hartley has
updated and upgraded the pro-
gram several times, and just
like fine wine and the Apple II
computer itself, it has improved
magnificently with age.
In the intervening years, the
program's author has been
promoted to assistant principal,
and the status of the program
has gone from freeware to
shareware. The program itself
operates much faster, is now
multi-user and a complete col-
lection of sophisticated teacher
utilities has been made avail-
able. Additionally, an all-new
stand-alone program geared
towards those who already know
how to type - Intermediate
Typing - has recently been
released.
Computer Keyboarding 5 starts
off with the basics, teaches the
proper way to sit at a keyboard
and explains proper finger
placement. The program uses an
effective combination of text and
graphics to present the lessons.
The graphic displays are used to
show proper finger placement
and consist of a hi-res display of
two hands positioned over a
computer keyboard, with flash-
ing fingertips used to illustrate
and reinforce correct positioning.
Each lesson is devoted to a
different set of keys, starting
with the "home keys" and
proceeding on to keys spaced
farther apart. After each lesson,
you must practice typing those
keys before being able to go on to
the next lesson. The drills
consist of your typing a series of
keystrokes, over and over again,
until you feel comfortable typing
that set of keys. After each
practice session, a chart is
displayed showing the number
and percentage of mistyped keys
with a notice exhibited if certain
keys are mistyped significantly
more than others. As in earlier
versions, Computer Keyboarding
5 continues to stress typing
Shareware Solutions II
15
accuracy over typing speed.
Computer Keyboarding 5 works
on any Apple He, lie, IIc+, IIGS,
or on an Apple 11+ with 64K, a
lower case chip and the shift key
modification. Additionally, it
works on any Macintosh model
that contains an Apple He
emulation card. Intermediate
Typing requires a He or greater.
Computer Keyboarding 5 is a
fun to use educational program
whose shareware registration
fee is $10.00 for individuals and
families, and $100 for school
site licenses. User documenta-
tion is provided from within the
program. For schools, a printed
program manual is provided
upon payment of the site license
fee. It describes how to use all of
the teacher utilities.
The program is available for
downloading from the GEnie
and America Online networks
and is available from Share-
ware Solutions II, in a partially-
functional condition; you will be
able to try out most of the
program's features, including
complete lessons and typing
drills, prior to submitting your
shareware fee. After you have
had more than sufficient time to
evaluate the program, the
program locks up on you; upon
receipt of your shareware fee,
you will be mailed, or emailed, a
simple software key that
unlocks the program and
returns it to full functionality.
Alternatively, you can mail
Charles Hartley a check or
money order in US funds for $15
and by return mail, he will send
you a disk with an already
unlocked, fully functional
registered version of Computer
Keyboarding 5. His address is
455 Foster Ln., Shepherdsville,
KY 40165.
A disk containing the un-
registered shareware version of
Computer Keyboarding 5, Inter-
mediate Typing, and several of
Charles Hartley's educationally
oriented strategy games is
available from Shareware Solu-
tions II for $5. Please specify
3.5" or 5.25" disk when ordering.
EntoStuff
Entomation is a company in
Ann Arbor, MI that is owned by
Apple lie enthusiast Mark
O'Brien. Entomation specializes
in entomological and biological
software, and it would like to
share with you their Apple-
Works based Entomology Re-
sources Database - EntoStuff.
The database is designed to
provide a comprehensive list of
65 organizations, vendors,
companies, and other entomo-
logically related resources for
teachers, students, naturalists,
and biologists.
EntoStuff should help to answer
common entomologically ori-
ented questions such as: "Where
can I buy insect nets? Where can
I get live insects? What organ-
izations can I join? Where do I
buy insect books and journals?
Who sells entomology soft-
ware?"
The database has actually been
created using an early version of
AppleWorks so that anyone
with any version of AppleWorks
can access it. Additionally,
Shareware Solutions II has
taken the liberty of converting
the information contained in the
database into a standard
ASCII Text File. Even if you
don't own AppleWorks, if you
have an interest in bugs or
butterflies, you can still access
the same information.
A disk containing the EntoStuff
database and the EntoStuff text
file is available from Shareware
Solutions II for $5. Please
specify 3.5" or 5.25" disk when
ordering.
Sebugg Kaleidoscopes
When the average person thinks
of the educational uses of an
Apple II computer, he or she
generally tends to think of its
uses in K-12. But, Apple II
computers are also in use in
colleges and universities and Dr.
Stephen Buggie, an Associate
Professor of Psychology at Pres-
byterian College, is currently
using Apple II computers to help
teach his senior level Psychology
course in Perception.
In addition to classroom lec-
tures, that course contains labo-
ratory exercises for which Dr.
Buggie has compiled a two sided
5.25" disk containing 45 ani-
mated programs which are used
to help illustrate the concepts of
"Symmetry, Kaleidoscopes and
the Hypersymmetric Depth
Effect."
Dr. Buggie defines symmetry as
"an equivalence of form or
appearance across a dividing
line or a plane." He points out
that symmetry of design is a
common feature found in ethnic
art of diverse world cultures.
Whether employed by modern
pop-artists, bushmen of Papau
New Guinea, or by Mestizos of
Guatemala, symmetric designs
are universal art forms that
have fascinated and captivated
humankind for millennia.
The "Sebugg Kaleidoscopes"
disk is being used as the basis
for lab exercises that lead to
personal observations of the
phenomenological and percep-
tual constructs and principles
16
Shareware Solutions II
that Dr. Buggie is teaching. He
asks his students to run 15 of
the programs and to report on
their observations concerning
special features of each ani-
mated pattern.
As technical as that might
sound, the "Sebugg Kalei-
doscopes" disk is a fun filled
disk containing special effects,
optical illusions and constantly
changing computer generated
kinetic art. If you enjoy
computerized art, this disk can
provide you with hour after hour
of entertainment.
On the practical side, if you are
one of the many He and lie
users who have clamored for
animated screen saving soft-
ware, here it is! Screen saving
software prevents what is
known as "phosphor burn," a
condition that develops when a
computer monitor displays the
same image for long periods of
time. After a while, that image
can become permanently etched
onto the computer screen,
leading to a costly repair.
The best screen savers are
automatically activated after a
user defined period of computer
inactivity. But, due to the
architecture of the He and lie,
there are no universal screen
savers that work with all
programs. In fact, the only
Ile/IIc screen savers in existence
are those that are provided as
part of the commercially
available AppleWorks v4 and
ProTERM programs.
The programs provided on this
disk, however, can be used quite
effectively as manually acti-
vated screen savers for use when
your computer is left on but is
not being used. This two sided
disk, with DOS 3.3 based
programs on Side 1, and Pro-
DOS-8 based programs on Side
2, are startup disks that let you
choose which programs to run
from a menu program.
The Sebugg Kaleidoscopes disk
is available from Shareware
Solutions II for $5. The disk is
available only on 5.25" media. If
you would also like to receive the
8 page handout prepared by Dr.
Buggie, please include a self
addressed stamped envelope
with your order. If ordering from
overseas, please include an
extra $1 to cover the additional
cost for air mail delivery of the
handout. •
Shareware Solutions IIGS
SheppyWare
One of the most prolific authors
of IIGS utility software is Eric
S. Sheperd, well known to the
Apple II online community as
Sheppy.
Currently a Computer Science
major at the University of
California, Sheppy started
programming the Apple II when
was 10 years old. He has since
released programs ranging from
simple mail-list programs to
operating system patches and
enhancements. He has recently
had several of his programs
accepted by Softdisk Publish-
ing, and they should be
appearing soon on Softdisk G-S.
Sheppy is constantly writing
and releasing new freeware and
shareware software. He would
like to share that software with
fellow subscribers to Shareware
Solutions II and he'd like to
extend a special unprecedented
offer. If you send in a shareware
fee to him, he will send you a
disk containing all the latest
versions of his software.
Additionally, if you send him a
shareware fee for ProBOOT, he
will also register you as the
owner of a 2nd shareware
program of your choice.
Sheppy seems to be most proud
of ProBOOT, a $15 shareware
utility written especially for
IIGS hard drive users, although
users without hard drives may
still find it useful. On the Apple
IIGS, booting a disk from a slot
other than the startup slot
specified in the IIGS Control
Panel can be inconvenient as it
is a several step process.
ProBOOT is designed to save
you time if, for example, you
want to start up a disk in your
3.5" or 5.25" disk drive. Once
ProBOOT is installed on your
hard drive or other startup disk,
hold down the Open-Apple key
while turning on your IIGS, and
in a few moments, the ProBOOT
menu will appear, asking you
which slot you wish to boot.
ProBOOT "will free you from the
slot-switching-blues!" If you, for
example, have a PC Transporter
installed in slot 6, and you also
have a 5.25" drive hooked up to
the disk port, you can activate
either device without changing
the Control Panel settings.
ProBOOT will even auto-
matically set the system speed
depending on which slot you're
booting. ProBOOT effectively
doubles the amount of devices
Shareware Solutions II
17
you can have connected and
active. The latest version of
ProBOOT requires System 6 or
6.0.1.
Sheppy's other shareware titles
are KeyNotifier, a $5 Control
Panel device that provides
several features related to
Apple Extended Keyboards, and
SysFail Plus, a $5 shareware
Initialization File that provides
additional and less cryptic
information when your IIGS
crashes. Both require System
6.0 or 6.0.1.
Sheppy has also created a slew
of Apple IIGS freeware System
6 enhancements. Cleaner Clean
Up is a Finder Extension that
will double check with you to see
if you really want to use the
Finder's Clean Up option. Desk-
top Image is an Initialization
File that allows you to use any
unpacked Super Hi Res graphic
as a background graphic. Grey-
Scale is an Initialization File
that changes the current palette
to a greyscale palette that is
compatible with the Quickie
scanning software's greyscale
palette. Easy Mount Key-
Changer is a program that
allows you to change System
6.0. l's Easy Mount key
equivalent to whatever key you
want. List Manager Patch for
System 6.0.1 corrects a very
minor problem in keyboard
navigation. LotsaTools is an
Initialization File that will
cause all of GS/OS' major
toolsets to be loaded and
installed as the default tool
configuration, resulting in a
speed increase when using
GS/OS from 3.5" disk or slow
hard drives. Sheppy's Clip-
board is an New Desk Accessory
that lets you view text, graphics,
icons, and sound scraps in the
System 6.0.1 clipboard from
within any desktop application.
A 3.5" disk, containing all of
Eric S. Sheperd's freeware and
shareware released prior to
January, 1994 is available from
Shareware Solutions II for $5.
Cheap Paint / CycleVision
Cheap Paint, by Earl Gehr, is a
320 x 200 mode IIGS paint
program that compares favor-
ably with commercially avail-
able paint programs. The only
thing cheap about this program
is its $10 shareware fee. Cheap
Paint includes the ability to
display 256 colors on screen at
any one time, and includes the
option to load two graphics
simultaneously and provides
cut and paste between them. It
has 12 different brush shapes,
provides horizontal and vertical
flipping, and it can create
graphics using all 16 palettes.
It requires 768K
Although all IIGS paint
programs provide a color cycling
option, only Cheap Paint
provides a method to create
animations using that option.
Until very recently, I'd never
seen any Cheap Paint ani-
mations. Then one day a disk
arrived that had been created
by 13 year old 8th grade student
Carl Gehrman, and it was as if
a whole new world of computer
animation had been opened up.
Dubbed CycleVision, Carl's disk
contains 11 different Cheap
Paint animations. Some of
them are optical illusions, while
others are of cartoon characters.
Isn't it amazing that a 13 year
old IIGS graphic artist can
create what's never been created
before?
CycleVision is designated as
"WhatEverWare"; if you like
Carl's creations, you are asked
to send him "a buck, a letter, a
disk, whatever."
If you have no other IIGS paint
program, Cheap Paint is a real
bargain. Although it is nearly 6
years old, it holds up quite well.
Of course it isn't as powerful or
feature laden as Platinum Paint
or DreamGraphix, but it costs
just a fraction of what these
other programs cost.
Cheap Paint and CycleVision is
available on a single 3.5" disk
from Shareware Solutions II for
$5. Complete documentation for
Cheap Paint and Cycle Vision is
included on the disk, and they
are readable with any word
processor. Cheap Paint also has
the ability to display all the
documentation while using the
program; just access the Help
option from the Apple Menu.
MS-DOS Utilities
When Apple released System
6.0.1, it included the MS-DOS
FST, which allows IBM format-
ted disks to be recognized by
GS/OS. That FST allows MS-
DOS disks to be read on a IIGS,
but it does not allow you to save
files to MS-DOS disks.
Peter Watson, an Australian
programmer, has accomplished
what Apple couldn't. His $15
shareware MS-DOS Utilities
v2.0 allows you to read from and
write to MS-DOS disks. It has
been tested, and works just fine
with MS-DOS disks inserted
into an Apple 3.5" SuperDrive
connected to a SuperDrive
Controller card, an AE High
Density drive, a 5.25" disk drive
attached to a PC Transporter,
an MS-DOS formatted SyQuest
44 megabyte cartridge attached
to an Apple High Speed SCSI
card, and a PC Transporter MS-
DOS partition on a GS/OS hard
drive.
18
Shareware Solutions II
Upon payment of the shareware
fee (feel free to send Peter
personal checks in US currency),
you'll receive version 2.1 of the
MS-DOS Utilities.
MS-DOS Utilities works with
any version of GS/OS. If you use
an IBM at work, you need these
utilities! MS-DOS Utilities is
available from Shareware Sol-
utions II for $5. It is included on
the System 6.0.1 Patch Disk
that was described in Issue #2.
Battle of the Video Digitizers
There are currently two video
digitizing systems available for
use on the Apple IIGS:
ComputerEyes and Visionary.
Those systems allow you to
"capture" still video images
from standard NTSC sources
such as TV's, VCR's and cam-
corders. The software included
with the digitizing hardware
allows you to adjust the images
as desired, and lets you save
those images as standard IIGS
graphics.
Al Crout, a dedicated Apple
IIGS user group evangelist from
British Columbia, has created a
HyperStudio $5 shareware
stack - The Battle of the Video
Digitizers - that demonstrates
the similarities and differences
between the two systems.
Included are explanations of
how the systems work, sample
digitized video images, and
graphics that reveal the
features of the software in-
cluded with each digitizer. If you
have any interest in purchasing
a video digitizing system, this
stack should prove to be an
invaluable learning tool.
A 3.5" disk containing the
HyperStudio stack is available
from Shareware Solutions II for
$5. Due to the large size of the
stack, the HyperStudio "run
time module" is not included, so
you must already have it or the
full HyperStudio program in
order to use this disk.
Dungeon GS
Back in the Dark Ages, before
the introduction of the Apple II,
computer users actually used
multi-million dollar computer
systems to play games. One of
the most popular games from
the 1970's - Dungeon - was
developed by computer scien-
tists at MIT. After the Apple II
was released, that game evolved
into Zork, the popular text
based Dungeon and Dragons
adventure series.
The original Dungeon game was
placed into the public domain in
1980, and recently Doni Grande
"ported" the "C" language code
into a form that would run on
the IIGS. He also renamed the
GS version as "Dungeon: The
Mother of All Zorks." It's an
enormous game that could take
months to play. During those
many months, you'll get to
explore underground worlds
that are populated by wizards
and dragons, elves and dwarves.
Two different 3.5" disk versions
of Dungeon are available from
Shareware Solutions II, each
available for $5. The User
version contains just the game,
and is supplied on a self
starting disk. The Pro-
grammer's version includes the
game itself, and the C source
code. Due to the enormous size
of the source code, all files on
the Programmer's version are
compressed with Shrinklt,
which you must already have.
When ordering, please specify
which version of Dungeon you
would like.
Pegasoft
Pegasoft is a Canadian software
company that would like to
share with you two of its $15
shareware programs. Both of
them were created with their
own Pegasus Pascal Pre-
compiler (available from
Resource Central), and both
include several music and
graphic IIGS toolsets, which
must first be installed into the
Tools directory of your IIGS
Startup disk.
The Pegasoft Jukebox is a
musical jukebox that plays
Sound Smith and NoiseTracker
tunes, but it's far more
sophisticated than other IIGS
musical playback programs.
What sets the Jukebox apart
from others is the ability to
display eight different multi-
colored kinetic animations as
the music plays. You have the
option to switch animations or
to switch the colors displayed,
making Pegasoft Jukebox a true
IIGS multimedia experience.
Quest for the Hoard is like a
board game that requires skill
and logic. An evil sorceress has
captured all the world's
treasures and hidden them in
her underground vaults. As an
apprentice wizard, you'll use
your magic to search for those
treasures. They are located
beneath tiles; turn over the
wrong tile, and you'll be a dead
wizard. Racing against the clock,
you'll try to collect spells for
protection and find objects that
will increase the time you can
search. Quest for the Hoard
should be fun for all age groups.
Both PegaSoft programs are
available from Shareware
Solutions II for $5 each, or $8 for
both programs. »
Shareware Solutions II
19
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